Jinxie's Kitchen

Marinara Sauce

2011-01-14T08:00:00.007-07:00

I suppose if I'm going to share any Italian recipes with you it might help if I give you the base ingredient to most of them--the marinara sauce. Marinara means "no meat."

This is the sauce I now use for Red Clam sauce, Lasagna, Spaghetti and Meatballs (or not), Chicken Penne pasta, and pretty much any Italian dish that requires a red/tomato-based sauce. Now, growing up with the British side of my family, I never learned to sauté garlic in the pot first, which is why my Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is a tad bland. I've learned freshly chopped/pressed garlic does change the taste of the sauce dramatically. I've also tweaked a few things with this original recipe to suit my own taste. I like garlic. What can I say? I also like other spices added to the mix.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 29 oz. can of tomato sauce (it doesn't have to be a name brand)

2-3 cloves of fresh garlic (or 1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic*)

Extra virgin olive oil

Garlic powder

Onion powder (optional)

Italian seasonings (optional)

*Note: the minced garlic can be found in a jar at the store so you don't have to mince a clove or two of garlic yourself. Keep it in the refrigerator. I prefer fresh garlic.

Add a splash or two of extra virgin olive oil to the pan, then add your garlic and sauté it on medium to low-medium heat. You'll want to sauté it to a golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Once the garlic is ready, add the can of tomato sauce and about half a can of water. Depending on how thick or thin you like your sauce, adjust the portion of water.

Bring the sauce to a boil and stir occasionally. As the sauce boils, you'll see a foam rising to the top.

Skim the foam off. I usually keep the tomato sauce can on the stove just for this purpose. You can dump the foam in there. Continue to boil until it no longer foams - about 15 minutes or so - and stir. After you've skimmed the sauce, you can add garlic powder. Allow it to simmer another 15 minutes and add other desired seasonings to taste--onion powder and Italian seasonings.

This sauce takes about an hour to cook. The beauty of this recipe is that the sauce is extremely versatile. You can use it for any of your Italian dishes and just adjust the ingredients.

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!
(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Sour Cream & Onion Dip

2010-12-26T02:16:00.001-07:00

Well, my dears, I now share a very simple dip with you. One that I'm eating right now on this ~~warm~~ lovely Christmas day. This one falls into the "dips you can't walk away from" category, and I finally had to put it away so as to stop eating it before ruining my appetite for Christmas dinner, which was lasagna (yes, there will be a recipe coming soon for that).

Sour Cream & Onion Dip

Ingredients:

1 packet of Green Onion dip mix
1 16oz. container of sour cream
1 8oz. package of cream cheese (softened)

I empty the packet contents first into a small/medium bowl. This way the powdery substance is on the bottom once you start mixing. Yeah, you see where I'm going with that, don't you? Next I add the cream cheese and then the sour cream. This works best if you set the cream cheese out for at least 30 minutes to soften it up. It's easy to break down and mix that way.

Mix it all together.

And tah dah, a damn good sour cream & onion dip. It's best cold, so throw it into the refrigerator for at least an hour (or the freezer for 15 minutes if you're in a hurry). Serve with Ruffles or the like, or even cucumbers and other fine veggies.

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip

2010-12-03T07:30:00.004-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted this one yet, but then, I haven't made it in some time and didn't have any pictures ... until now. *grins*

This is my own recipe. I stood in the freezer section one day, pulled a box of T.G.I.Friday's spinach dip out, read the ingredients, mentally noted, and figured out what I needed. The first time I ever tasted this dip was at a bar called Mickey's Hangover in Scottsdale. Theirs (aside from my own, of course) has been the best I've tasted so far.

You may alter as you like, of course. I'll even make a few suggestions.

Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip

(ignore the paper plate, please)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 pkg. frozen artichoke hearts/quarters (trust me, the jarred/canned kind doesn't work for this - *gag*)
1 jar Alfredo sauce (I use the roasted garlic kind, but hell, you could even make your own for this)
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
dash of salt
dash or two or three of garlic powder (depending on how much you love garlic, since I can't fathom anyone not loving garlic)
4 cup pkg. of mozzarella cheese
1-2 cup pkg. of Parmesan cheese (if either cheeses have Romano, all the better)

Heat spinach and artichoke quarters according to directions, then place in a casserole dish (unless you can use it to warm both up in the microwave). Be sure to break up the artichoke hearts/quarters with the end of your spoon after cooking. We don't want the pieces to be too big.

Add the cream cheese and mix until melted. Then add half of the Alfredo sauce.

Add about 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese and a handful of the Parmesan cheese. Mix.

I used the full jar of Alfredo sauce this time around because I wanted the dip a bit creamy, so you can choose to add the rest now. Just try not to spill it all over your hand like I did. Add salt and garlic powder. Mix.

Here is where you can add sour cream and diced tomatoes. I've had it with these additions and it tastes wonderful. I just haven't had a chance to experiment with my own recipe. On second thought, you don't want to bake sour cream. If you'd like to add this item, wait until after you've baked the dip.

Cover the top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the top layer of cheese begins to brown.

This is great for holiday parties or potlucks. I call it one of my can't-walk-away-from dips. It also falls in the category of heart-attack-waiting-to-happen food group because of the cheese, which I've actually toned down this time around.

Have fun with it. Experiment! Cooking is ALWAYS an experiment in progress.

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Maine Shepherd's Pie

2010-10-15T07:30:00.010-07:00

My dear friend Cheryl, aka Wulfshado in some parts of cyberspace, sent this delicious recipe my way for a few reasons. 1) I think she likes me. 2) she knows I'm hurting and have a ton to do aside from this blog, and 3) she's just that wonderful type of friend. Love her!

So here you go. Enjoy this Maine dish.

Maine Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 C whole kernel corn, canned or fresh
1 med onion
1 bell pepper
1/2 tsp each pepper, salt, celery (powder or salt)
1 tsp stinging nettles

Optional: may substitute another veggie for corn or use more than one. I
sometimes use corn and string beans

Preheat Over 375

Peel, chop and boil three to five medium potatoes, whatever kind you like. When
they're tender, drain and mash with butter and the salt and pepper.

Chop onion and pepper and sauté in frying pan with butter. (Most add garlic
here, I don’t because I’m allergic.) As they begin to caramelize add in ground
beef and brown evenly.

Pour corn in bottom of casserole dish. Add meat mixture. Add celery salt and
nettles. Stir in.

Once well mixed, top with the mashed potatoes.

Smooth mashed potatoes down over the mixture. Dab with butter.

Bake in over until potato start to brown and/or blacken. (depends how you like
them) Remove from oven, let sit for five minutes, serve.

*This is particularly good with a nice salad and/or garlic bread or cheesy bread.

And there you have it. May the cooking faeries guide you in your quest to make great things (sorry, percocet talking).

A BIG Jinxie thank you to Cheryl (aka Wulfie) for sharing this wonderful recipe. Now go check out her awesome blog: http://shadowrites.com/

Red Velvet Cake/Cupcakes

2010-09-17T07:30:00.005-07:00

We seem to be on a dessert kick lately, but whatever. This recipe comes from one of my bestest, dearest and oldest friends, Deni. These are quite possibly the best red velvet cupcakes I've ever tasted. She probably doesn't remember me eating one and I know she doesn't recall me being at the house that day - long story. Anyway, enjoy this great recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes or Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix with pudding (Pillsbury is my favorite.)
German chocolate, fudge or plain chocolate works the same
1 small package of chocolate pudding (Jello brand is really the best for this.)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 bottle of red food coloring (I leave this out often and it is wonderful without it.)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350̊ F. Bake in the center rack.

For cupcakes, line a muffin tin with paper liners. For a cake, grease and flour two 9” pans. I prefer
round.

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute or until fully
mixed. Scrape down sides. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes until fluffy.

For cupcakes, fill the cups 2/3 of the way full. For cake, split the batter between the two pans.

Cupcakes: bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cupcake springs back when lightly pressed with your
finger. Allow to cool for five minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a wire rack to cool. Allow
to cool before frosting.

Cake: bake for 28 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool
completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package of cream cheese at room temperature (8 ounces)
8 tablespoons butter at room temperature (1 stick)
3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus any additional that might be needed
(I am lazy and don’t sift it….)
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time until well
blended. Mix for 1 minute more on low speed. Add more confectioners’ sugar until frosting is
spreadable. It might need more of the confectioners’ sugar to be the right consistency. Once it is just
right, add the vanilla and mix at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes more until frosting is fluffy.

Cover the sides and top of the cake, double the frosting recipe if you want to do the cake in
multiple layers. I like to cut each round in half and put a thin layer of frosting between each layer.

Note: Cake recipe is changed from one I found in Anne Byrn’s Chocolate Cake Doctor’s Recipe Book, the frosting recipe is hers…..I wish I could take credit for that! I have her Cake Doctor Recipe Book that I use often also.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you, Deni, for stopping by with this wonderful recipe. Red velvet cake is my absolute fave dessert!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

2010-08-29T20:19:00.001-07:00

Ashelynn, one of my favorite young writers, sent this to me recently because she knows just how much I LOVE Guinness and Irish Car Bombs. She's a good kid. I think I'll keep her around for a while. *winks*

This recipe comes from Annie's Eats, so be sure to go there and check out that blog.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:

1 cup stout (Guinness)
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache filling:

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4-8 tbsp. Bailey's Irish cream

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Holy mother ... I need to make these soon!

Piacere!

Grown-Up Mac and Cheese

2010-08-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

This week's guest is my darling cousin Lori, who happens to be in Phoenix right now on tour with her boyfriend Stu and his band Antique Scream (they are awesome and you should check them out). Now, I love my cousin dearly, and she's a highly intelligent girl, but when she goes on tour with the boys, they tend to lose IQ points for whatever reason. Maybe it's all those hours in the van. They should probably check the exhaust. I hear CO2 emissions can not only kill you in a confined space, but shed those points at neck-breaking speed. Hey, there just HAS to be some explanation for the world heading into Idiocracy. I just find it hilarious, along with the email I received today that had this recipe attached.

Ok, so I wrote this at like, noon. And then I fucking FORGOT TO EMAIL IT TO YOU! Because I lose like, 10 IQ points a week while I'm on tour.
-L

You're not offended by the swearing, right? Because I do that all the damn time on this blog. Welcome Lori to Jinxie's Kitchen and check out the great recipe she's sharing below (*ahem* I'm trying to get the tiramisu recipe out of her).

Grown Up Mac N’ Cheese

Ingredients:
1 bag pasta
1 stick of butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
3 or 4 strips of bacon
2 garlic cloves
½ small onion
16 oz cheese (I prefer medium cheddar)
1 teaspoon chili powder
Sal t and Pepper to taste
Italian Bread Crumbs (optional)

I love this recipe. I make it for my man and his friends. Guys go nuts over pretty much anything with bacon (it’s the candy of meat!), but add it to a nostalgic childhood food like Mac n’ Cheese...? Instant success.

For this recipe you’ll need a knife and cutting board, a medium sized sauce pan, something to boil pasta in (another saucepan, dutch oven, whatever), a colander, an oven safe baking dish (I use a glass 9” x 13”), a cheese grater, kitchen sheers, a whisk, and a spoon or rubber spatula.

To prep, shred your pound of cheese. I prefer to use a medium cheddar, but any cheddar would work. I’ve also used Colby Jack, and I suppose Pepper Jack would work for those more adventurous sorts. Set the shredded cheese aside, and peel and dice your garlic cloves and onion.

Start the water boiling, the heat under your sauce pan, and preheat your oven to 350. Unwrap the top of your stick of butter, and rub it on your baking dish. This is so your pasta will not stick to the pan.

In the sauce pan, add your diced garlic, diced onion, and the bacon. You can fuss around with a knife and cutting board to slice it into pieces (which is annoying and greasy), or you can use kitchen sheers. Hold the 3 or 4 slices of bacon (still stuck together from the package) and just snip them into pieces, right into the pan.

Fry the bacon, garlic and onions until the bacon reaches desired crispiness. Personally, I prefer chewy. Once you’ve reached bacony goodness, add the stick of butter, and melt it completely. You should have a deliciously sinful combination of bacon grease and butter in the pan. Sprinkle the flour and chili powder into the cardiologist’s nightmare, and use the whisk to stir it around. It should reach a paste like consistency. If it’s still too greasy, sprinkle a little more flour in until it is not. This is called a roux, and there are lots and lots of how to’s on the internet if you have trouble with this stage. A pretty basic rule of thumb, is that however much milk you add, is how much cheese sauce you will end up with.

If you want a little more, add more milk. A little less sauce, use a little less sauce. It’s up to you. The measurements above are more of a guideline. At this stage, add the milk slowly, while stirring (so not to make a mess or scorch the milk.) Once you’ve thoroughly mixed the milk and the roux, begin sprinkling the shredded cheese in there, stirring constantly, so it mixes and melts evenly. I use about half of the remaining cheese at this point, sometimes a little more, depending on my mood.

Keep an eye on your water. You’ll have to do this simultaneously with the sauce. Luckily, it’s much more low maintenance. Once it’s boiling add the pasta. I like to use elbow macaroni, but you could use bow tie, spiral, or ziti. However fancy you want to look to your friends. Once the pasta’s done, drain it and put it in the glass pan. I like to toss some of the shredded cheese in with the pasta, mix it around, and let it sit while I’m finishing the sauce.

Once the sauce begins to thicken, you’re good to go. Turn off the heat, and use a spoon to taste a little of the sauce. Salt and Pepper to taste (I do just a tiny bit of salt, and lots of black pepper.) If you’d like the mac to have a bit more kick, add a little more chili powder.

Spoon all of the sauce over the noodles. Carefully mix the pasta and the sauce together in the pan, until the pasta is uniformly coated. Use the rest of the cheese now, and sprinkle it across the top. If you’d like a crunchy top, sprinkle bread crumbs in with the shredded cheese. You could even get super fancy and put bacon crumbles on top.

Put the pan in the oven, and let it go until the cheese across the top get’s brown and bubbly. (Usually about ten minutes.) When you take it out of the oven, let it sit for another ten minutes or so. Unless you enjoy burning your taste buds off with lava-hot cheese. I know it will be difficult to wait (the smell will drive you mad in anticipation), but it will be worth it. I promise.

Thank you Lori for stopping by Jinxie's Kitchen! Next week.....well, I don't know what I'm posting yet, but I'll work on it this weekend. =)

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!
(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2010-08-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

I recently asked the Twittersphere if anyone would like to guest post on my recipe blog because a teacher friend of mine just started teaching Foods class at the high school where she works (and she can't cook). She's an English teacher, not a Foods teacher. So these writers who are all made of awesomesauce and then some volunteered to help the poor girl out by posting recipes on my little ol' blog here. I did say they were made of awesomesauce.

Outstanding epic fantasy writer Julie Weathers jumped up and waved her hands in the air (okay, not really, but she did @ reply me) and she is this week's guest blogger with some yummy cookies that happen to be on an Army sergeant's favorites list! These treats are perfect for shipping, so if you have loved ones far, far away, bookmark this recipe and give it a try. Also check out the links below this post, as they are very important!

We welcome Julie to Jinxie's Kitchen! Don't mind the boxes. I'm still unpacking.

I told Jinxie darling, I would share a recipe with y'all. Most of you who know me, are aware I bake a lot of cookies for soldiers. I have a few things I have to keep in mind when I make these.

1. They need to taste good, even if they've been in transport for two weeks.

2. They need to ship well.

3. They need to be simple because you will drive yourself nuts making 300 fancy cookies a week.

I'm also a bargain hunter. After the holidays, certain things go on sale like Hershey's Kisses in holiday wrappers, holiday M&Ms, nuts, marshmallow crème, and different flavored chips. One of my clearance sale finds was mini Hershey's Kisses. The package had a recipe on the back to make Peanut Butter Blossoms. These turned out to be the favorite cookies I shipped to Iraq.

Since Will, my son, often worked long hours and didn't get a chance to eat decent meals, he was living on beef jerky, Dr. Pepper and Honey Buns for a while and gained some weight. He refused to eat my cookies, but he did chow down on these as they were, "pure magic."

Will started putting the boxes with cookies in the machine shop because guys would come in with flimsy excuses like they needed more ammo when Will was hurrying to get weapons ready for a convoy. He finally figured out what they were doing and put the cookies in the mechanics' shop so he could get weapon repairs done.

One sergeant in particular loved all the cookies, but especially the Peanut Butter Blossoms. Whenever the cookies arrived, Will tracked down Sgt. Turner to let him know.

"You ain't funning me are you, Weathers?"

"No, sir. Just got some cookies."

"Better not be. I can hurt you."

Will said he was really a man mountain and when he said he could hurt someone that was not an idle comment.

Sgt. Turner went to the shop and got his cookies then settled back into bliss. "Tell yo mama I lover her, Weathers."

Somewhere, there is a very large Army sergeant who loves me.

Yee haw.

The following recipe is jimmied around a bit. I like my dough to have a certain feel so if it isn't real firm add more flour. Also, cover with film and let dough "blend" overnight in the fridge. This does make a difference in the way your cookies taste.

Also, if you're going to bake a lot, I can't say enough for KitchenAid mixers.

They really are wonderful machines and make baking so much easier. Plus, it's cheaper in the long run than replacing six mixers a year you catch on fire.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:

· 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES

· 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco

· 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

· 1/3 cup granulated sugar

· 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

· 1 egg

· 2 tablespoons milk

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 1-1/2-2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· Granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg and milk. Add soda dissolved in vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Thank you Julie Weathers for such a great cookie recipe and for sharing it with us! Be sure to check out Julie's blog here or just go to her website here.

If you're interested in how you can help our soldiers who do so much for us, check out Books for Soldiers and Wounded Soldiers. Support our troops!

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!
(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Linguine in Clam Butter Wine Sauce

2010-07-30T07:30:00.023-07:00

Today's Jinxie's Kitchen guest is Brooklyn Ann, writer extraordinaire and crazy home chef like myself who doesn't measure a damn thing and just throws in a pinch, a dash, or a handful. In other words, we both cook "to taste." Those are my favorite kind of recipes! She gave me a LIST of recipes to choose from last week and I chose this one because I'm Italian, after all, and love a good wine sauce and anything with garlic*!

(*TIP: did you know that consumption of garlic keeps mosquitoes away? If you live in an area with a lot of mosquitoes, I'd suggest adding garlic to your daily diet.)

On with this week's recipe!

Linguine in Clam Butter Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1 half package of linguine
1 stick of real butter (salted)
grated Parmesan cheese
garlic - peeled and grated
1 can of chopped clams or 1/2 lb of fresh steamed clams
white wine
parsley
thyme
pepper

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
Slowly mix in the Parmesan cheese until mixture is semi-thick.
Add a little wine - to taste.
Season with parsley, thyme and pepper - to taste.
Add grated garlic - to taste.(If sauce isn't thick enough, you can thicken it with cornstarch and water)

Cook the linguine al dente and drain
Mix the noodles with the sauce and top with the clams.

I'm going to suggest a wine with this one: Eco Domani Pinot Grigio. Just sounds like it would taste good together. You could possibly even use the pinot grigio as the white wine in the recipe.

I'll definitely have to try this recipe next week. It sounds delish!

Brooklyn Ann has a great blog here where she talks books, writing and many other wonderful things. Go visit her!

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!
(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Sweet Pork Tenderloin

2010-07-23T07:30:00.002-07:00

I've made this one a few times now and it is one of the best marinades I've come across. It's sweet and tangy, and I got it from one of the Fry's Food mailers a few years ago.

The actual title for this recipe is GRILLED MOLASSES PORK TENDERLOIN, but I don't grill it. In fact, I haven't even tried grilling it yet, so if you do that, let me know how it turns out. As always, click on the pictures to make them bigger. =)

Ingredients:

2 cups molasses
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
2 onions cut horizontally into quarters
2 pork tenderloins
Red potatoes (optional and as many as will fit in your pan around the tenderloin)

Of course, you can halve this recipe if needed, like I do, because 2 tenderloins is a lot.

Here's what the recipe says to do:

Place all ingredients into a resealable bag and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove and grill tenderloins and onions. Grill for approximately 10-12 minutes each side or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Note: you can thicken the marinade in a saucepan by cooking for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Serve with your favorite grilled vegetables.

Here's what I do (with only one tenderloin):

Chop fresh garlic - about two or three cloves.

Chop onions and place all ingredients into a resealable bag (no bowls to clean up = awesome!), and refrigerate overnight.

Next day: Remove tenderloin and place in oblong pan (spray/coat pan with olive oil first). Pour marinade over tenderloin and into pan.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes. Cut red potatoes into quarters (at least) and spread around edges of pan. Cover with foil again and bake for another 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the pork tenderloin.

Check internal temperature. When it reaches around 150 degrees, remove foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Place on a serving dish, slice and serve.

And serve with whatever you like. Since I cooked the onions and potatoes with the roast, all I added was a nice steamed vegetable and we were set.

If you like sweet, this recipe is perfect for you because it is very sweet-tasting. Also, your house will smell wonderful from the point you chop the fresh garlic!

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Summer Fruit Shortcakes

2010-07-16T07:30:00.004-07:00

My dear friend and sender of some of the best goodie baskets, Victoria (aka @StrawberryToast), has decided to share this spectacular summer treat with us, and boy does it look NOM-worthy! I can't wait to try it. Victoria is a French chef and a pastry chef on the east coast, and one of many friends I've met via Twitter. We welcome her to Jinxie's Kitchen!

(photo credit: 2010 Victoria Allyson)

Summer Fruit Shortcakes

Ingredients ~

4 Ginger Scones, split and toasted (recipe follows)

4 ripe peaches, peeled & sliced

3 ripe plums, same as above

½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

splash of Grand Marnier (optional)

sprigs of fresh mint

1 pint Haagen-Daas “5 “ ingredient vanilla ice cream

Method ~

Make the scones per the recipe

Toss the fruits with the sugar, lemon, and Grand Marnier if you're using it.

I like to very briefly sauté the fruits with the sugar, lemon, and Grand Marnier for about 2 mins.

To Serve ~

Split and toast the scones

Place on pretty plate

Top with fruit compote

Add top half of the scone

Scoop of vanilla ice cream

Garnish with mint sprig

Ginger Scones ~

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 stick very cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 tbsp finely chopped crysatalized ginger *

6 oz. heavy cream plus 1 tbsp for brushing the tops of the scones

1 tsp demeara sugar to sprinkle on top of the scones

Mix all ingredients together ~ gently roll out ½ inch thick

Cut into a circle using a biscuit cutter

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet

Brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with the sugar

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.

Thank you Victoria for sharing such a tasty recipe! I look forward to seeing what you come up with for the Hallowe'en issue of Forever Nocturne!

Victoria's blog can be found here. A great place to visit for food and wine lovers! Take note that it's also a personal blog. *winks*

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

2010-07-09T07:30:00.002-07:00

You've seen me talk about them on Twitter a few times, and they are SO easy to make. The only cooking involved is cooking the chicken, unless you buy prepackaged grilled chicken, which can be found near the deli items at the grocery store.

All I do is buy a Caesar salad kit, some tortillas, and the chicken. If you buy raw chicken, you can grill it or boil it. If you buy prepackaged grilled chicken, hooray for you because there's no cooking involved! I boiled it this time around.

Open the salad kit and take out the little bag inside, then dump the greens into a gallon-size ziploc bag. Place as much chicken as you want inside the ziploc bag as well. Open the dressing packet and pour it in the bag, as well as the cheese. Seal the bag and shake the hell out of it to mix everything up. Reopen the bag and add the croûtons, then seal and shake again.

Take a tortilla out, lay it flat, and pour some of the salad onto the tortilla.

Be careful not to put too much or you won't be able to close the tortilla. Take one end of the tortilla and fold it over the salad.

Then roll the tortilla a bit, fold the ends in, and roll again.

Viola! You have a chicken Caesar salad wrap. Mmmmm!

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Banana Cream Pie

2010-07-02T07:30:00.004-07:00

Today's post is brought to us by Ashelynn D. Sanford, part of the Twitterati and very talented young writer. You can find her first published story in Forever Nocturne's March 2010 issue.

Banana Cream Pie
1 cup sugar
½ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ cups milk
6 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons vanilla

Blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in milk slowly until mixture is smooth. Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. Cook 1 minute. Beat egg yolks in small bowl. Stir in ½ cup of hot mixture, then stir back into saucepan. Cook, stirring one minute more. Slice bananas and place them on the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour mixture into cooled pastry shell. Press piece of plastic wrap over pie surface. Chill one hour.

Cream Puffs

½ cup shortening

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup boiling water

1 cup sifted flour

4 beaten eggs

Add shortening and salt to boiling water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat, add flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture forms ball around spoon, leaving pan clean. Remove from heat. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until mixture is thick and shiny and breaks from spoon. Shape one ungreased cookie sheet, using 1 tsp or 1 tbls of pastry for one puff. (depend upon size desired.) Bake at 450o for 20 minutes or longer. Cool. Cut one side of each puff and fill with cream or cream pie filling. Makes 1 dozen large or 3 small.

Banana cream pie filling is very good in this.

Thank you Ashelynn for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

Unca T's Biscotti

2010-06-25T07:30:00.005-07:00

Today's guest post comes from my darling Uncle Tony in Oklahoma, the Italian self-proclaimed teddy bear with fangs and evil criminal mastermind (and you wondered where I got it from). He recently sent me some biscotti (as evidenced by the picture below), but the problem is I failed to mention that my roommate is allergic to pecans, walnuts and pralines. I know, good job, Jinxie, right? Hey, the knowledge is in my head so I just assume the rest of you know it. Yes, that's truly how I think sometimes (it's really because I have a bad memory and can't remember if I told you...shh). Anyway, due to this little mishap, I'm calling (the picture below) the Biscotti Plate of Death, as Unca T replied to me with "so yes, death on a plate for her" when I asked him the ingredients.

If you're allergic to nuts, obviously don't add them, but then you can't call it the Biscotti Plate of Death.

That's actually a great title for something that's Italian, isn't it?

"Vendetta needs? Try our Biscotti Plate of Death. Your victims ... er, guests will never know what hit them."

Okay, on with the recipe ...

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter (butter makes them melt in your mouth)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (your choice...pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds)
3/4 cup cransins (dried cranberries)

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Form into two separate loaves and bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once loaves are golden, take them out of the oven and let them rest for 30 minutes. Slice the loaves into individual cookies and arrange on cookie sheet face up. Put into a 200 degree oven for an hour.

Thanks Unca T, for sharing your famous Biscotti recipe with my readers. Now I must go find a pizzelle iron so I can make these ...

Chicken Penne Pasta

2010-06-18T07:30:00.010-07:00

I made this about a week ago for something different. I like to experiment here and there. It turned out well so I'm sharing it with you.

You'll start with a marinara sauce. Now, growing up with the British side of my family, I never learned to sauté garlic in the pot first, but I learned that recently and it does change the taste of the sauce dramatically. I've also tweaked a few things with that sauce to my own taste. I like garlic. What can I say? I also like other spices added to the mix.

Ingredients:

1 29 oz. can of tomato sauce (it doesn't have to be a name brand)

1 teaspoon of minced garlic (if that)

1-3 chicken breasts

1 pkg. penne pasta

Garlic powder

Onion powder (optional)

Italian seasonings (optional)

*Note: the minced garlic can be found in a jar at the store so you don't have to mince a clove or two of garlic yourself. Keep it in the refrigerator.

Add olive oil to the pan, giving it a light coating. I use a splash or two only and extra virgin olive oil. Then add your minced garlic and sauté it. Be careful not to burn the garlic. You'll want to sauté it to a golden brown.

Once the garlic is ready, add the can of tomato sauce and about half a can of water. Depending on how thick or thin you like your sauce, adjust the portion of water.

Bring the sauce to a boil and stir occasionally. As the sauce boils, you'll see a foam rising to the top.

Skim the foam off. I usually keep the tomato sauce can on the stove just for this purpose. You can dump the foam in there. Continue to boil until it no longer foams - about 15 minutes or so - and stir. After you've skimmed the sauce, you can add garlic powder. Allow it to simmer a bit longer and add other desired seasonings to taste.

This sauce takes about an hour to cook.

While the sauce simmers, boil one or two chicken breasts (you can grill this too, if you'd like), depending on how many you're serving.

Also, begin boiling your water for the pasta.

Once the chicken is done (ie. not pink on the inside), cut it up into bite-size pieces and add it to the sauce.

Boil the pasta until done (usually about 10 minutes) and strain. Move pasta back to pot or to a bowl. Add some of the sauce to the pasta to coat it and serve. When serving, spoon some of the sauce over the pasta on each plate.

Here, I just mixed it all together.

Total cook time is about an hour.

Piacere!

Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

(live well, love much, and laugh often)

Ice Cream Sandwiches

2010-06-11T07:30:00.003-07:00

My next guest post is from my dear friend Shawna aka writermom. With summer arriving and the heat wave rolling in, what better recipe than ice cream sandwiches?! Check out this wonderful cool treat for the kids ... and you, of course!

Writermom's Ice Cream Sandwiches

(photo credit: Flickr f0rcerec0n's)

I always make a treat for my kids on Fridays. For the last Friday of school before summer vacation, I wanted to make something special for my kids and their friends. It was getting warm so I thought ice cream sandwiches would be a wonderful treat. And, because I’d had Jinxie’s blog on my mind, I thought I’d document the process for said woman’s blog. Now you know I wouldn’t be going through all of this if that’s what happened.

I went to take a picture of my lovely cookie dough and my camera wouldn’t turn on. Sure enough: no batteries. The kids had stolen them for their Wii. I stole them right back but the batteries were too weak to power the camera. I played ‘switch the battery’ for awhile, but to no avail. I was tempted not to make the cookies, but Fridays are Fridays and hey, I wanted the ice cream sandwiches too.

I can hear Jinxie reminding me strongly that this is a cooking blog, and maybe I should get to the recipe. Hold your horses there, woman!

Without further ado *sticking tongue out at Jinx* here’s my cookie recipe. It’s close to the one you’d find on the back of a bag of chocolate chips only I…. okay, okay, Jinxie, geesh.

Here you go:

Ingredients:

Chocolate chip cookies:

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup butter (come on, splurge and use butter. It makes the cookies so much better.)

¾ cup sugar

¾ brown sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 package of maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal

Stir together the sugar, vanilla eggs and butter. Add the flower, soda, salt. Mix well.

Use an ice cream scooper to place batter on a cookie sheet. This makes them all the same size.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

~Short cut: Buy a package of cookies from your local bakery or the grocery store. Hey sometimes you need a quicker path to sugary goodness. I get that. ~

Melt about ½ cup chocolate chips in a microwave in 30 sec intervals. Well, put them in a bowl first, it’s less messy that way. Stir the chips in between each interval. When the chips are smooth, stir once more and lick the spoon.

With a clean spoon or a knife, spread, or just dip, the melted chocolate on the bottom of each cookie. This step isn’t just because more chocolate is always a good thing. It is. But the chocolate coating protects the cookie from the ice cream. No mushy cookies. If you don’t feel like dealing with melting the chocolate, spread chocolate frosting on each cookie. Hey, as long as it’s chocolate.

Once the chocolate layer has cooled, place a large scoop of ice cream on each cookie. I used cookie dough flavor because, well, it seemed poetic, but you can use any flavor you like.

Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and squeeze. The ice cream will squeeze out the side. Look both ways—if no one is looking, lick the ice cream off your fingers. Heck, do it anyway! Serve. If you’re not serving these right away, wrap each cookie sandwich in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer.

If you’re feeling adventurous, roll the cookie in sprinkles or mini chocolate chips (like the picture that is not mine). Feeling really decadent? Dip the entire cookie sandwich in melted chocolate and immediately set it on a wax paper covered cookie sheet to put in the freezer, stat. Take it/them out after a few minutes for an ooey, gooey, delicious mess.

I think I've gone into sugar shock. Excuse me while I go bake some brownies. =)

Thank you, Shawna, for the delicious post!

Sharon Gerlach's Spinach Manicotti

2010-06-03T15:58:00.002-07:00

Like me, my friend Sharon doesn't really measure while cooking. We both tend to use a dash of this, a speck of that, a handful here and there. I acquired the skill from my grandmother, since Umi isn't much of a cook. It's the mark of a true cook, if you ask me, kind of like having all the recipes only in your head. Cooking is an experiment, and a fun one at that, so here's a new recipe for you to experiment with.

Have fun!

(photo not taken by Sharon Gerlach so it may not look like this.

I'll replace it with a picture Sharon's taking soon)

Spinach Manicotti

(single batch; feeds 4 – 6 depending on appetites!)

Try to use fresh herbs if possible. Dried are fine if fresh isn’t available. If using dried, be sure to rub between hands to release the flavor before putting into sauce. Many ingredients are not listed in amounts—use according to personal tastes.

I recommend using a disposable baking pan, approximately 13 X 9. If making a double batch, use two pans—the manicotti will heat more evenly than if crammed into one huge pan.

Ingredients:

2 boxes manicotti noodles

1 large container ricotta cheese

bread crumbs (Italian-herbed)

2 bunches of spinach (depending on personal taste)

1 head of garlic, pressed

2 large cans of tomato sauce

1 large can of tomato paste

1 packet of spaghetti seasoning

oregano

thyme

basil

onion powder

shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Filling: Add ½ of the pressed garlic to spinach & steam until limp but not mushy. Chop into small pieces, drain as much liquid as possible. Combine ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, spinach. Should be stiff but pliable.

Pasta: Put manicotti shells into boiling water and reduce the heat to remove the boil. Leave in water for 7 minutes, drain.

Sauce: Combine in saucepan over medium heat: tomato sauce, tomato paste, spaghetti seasoning, oregano, thyme, basil, onion powder, and the remaining ½ of the garlic. When sauce begins to show signs of boiling, reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes and taste. Add herbs to taste (if necessary). If sauce is thicker than you prefer, add water in little bits until desired consistency is reached.

Shred cheese (if not purchased shredded) while sauce is simmering.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of baking pan.

Stuff manicotti shells with filling using a teaspoon or a pastry bag with no decorative tip (the pastry bag makes it go faster but is messier). Lay in sauce in baking pan as you fill each one. (If arranging in two layers, put a ladle or two of sauce and a layer of shredded cheese between layers of shells.)

If you have any filling left over, spread over top layer of manicotti shells. Pour remaining sauce over top and spread evenly. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake 350° for 30 – 40 minutes (increase to 1 hour if made in advance and refrigerated). If you simply insist on using one ginormous baking dish for a double or triple batch, you should increase the oven temperature to 375° and bake for 40 mminutes to an hour.

Serve with garlic bread.

Sharon has her own kitchen blog here.

Piacere!

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

2010-05-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today's guest post comes from my friend Christel, whom I've known for about four years now. Wow, how time passes! We met on a writing website and the girl is a reading fiend. Check out her blog and this wonderful recipe.

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

What you will need:

2 cups shredded chicken (I used leftover roasted chicken from Saturday’s dinner.)
Lasagna noodles (about 12 halfway boiled)
1 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach
1 quart lowfat cottage cheese
1 egg
1 tea. salt, 1/2 tea. pepper, 1 tea. basil, 1/2 tea. oregano
2 cups shredded swiss cheese (1/2 c. for cottage cheese mixture)
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 roma tomato sliced
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbl. flour
2 cups milk

What to do:

Boil the noodles.
Mix chicken, spinach, cottage cheese, egg, seasonings & 1/2 cup of swiss into bowl & blend.
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
Add flour to butter, stirring often for 2 minutes.
Add milk to butter/flour mixture. Season to taste.
Chop the onion & slice the tomato. Usually you can do this while stirring the rue (white sauce).
Preheat oven to 375
Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Layer noodles, cheese mixture, sprinkle onions & mushrooms. (You can chop your mushrooms, but I left them sliced from the package.)
Spread a fine layer of white sauce & season slightly.
Repeat with noodles, etc. This should be 3 layers w/ noodles on top.
On the top, arrange sliced tomatoes & remaining swiss. Season to taste.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Serve this with a salad and VIOLA! Seriously, this is “THE BOMB” (verbatim from my man). Plus, I used ingredients I had on hand. The tomatoes really added a pop of color to boot! :)

Thanks for sharing Christel!

Strawberry Flaugnarde

2010-05-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Jinxie's Kitchen. While I'm simmering a marinara sauce, take a look at this delicious French dessert. Mmm!

Today's guest post is by Bridgemama, who is working on publishing her cookbook, and she agreed to share this lovely dessert with us. I may have to make this soon. Wish I had some fresh strawberries from California again!

Similar to a clafoutis, this classic French dessert is something I make often when strawberries are readily available at the farmer's market and so sweet and inexpensive! It's very easy, yet delicious. Remember to choose the smallest dark red ripe berries available for the best flavor.

Preheat oven to 350f.

Serves 4 generously.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pints fresh small strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 cup whole milk (not low fat/skimmed), half & half may be substituted

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

(optional) 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioner's sugar

Directions:

1. Thoroughly butter a shallow 2-qt. baking or gratin dish.

2. Halve small berries and quarter larger berries, sift cornstarch over top and toss gently until evenly coated, then arrange the berries in the baking dish so that they cover the bottom of dish and set aside.

3. In a blender, buzz eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, orange zest, Grand Marnier, melted butter and salt until there are no flour lumps. Pour batter evenly over strawberries.

4. Put in the oven and bake until puffy, golden brown, and set in the center - about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool about 10-15 minutes, sift confectioner’s sugar over top and serve warm.

Sorry we don't have a picture. If anyone makes this and happens to take a pic, please email me. I'll give proper photo credit. =)

Firecracker Pork Lo Mein

2010-05-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

by Kait Nolan

Despite the name, this really isn’t that hot a dish. I just really liked the sound of “firecracker” in honor of the heroine of my latest release, paranormal romance novella, Forsaken By Shadow. She’s a firecaster. If you like it spicy, dial up the chili sauce. Coming in at 2 servings at 905 calories and 40.5 grams of fat apiece, this is a great make at home dish that will satisfy that yen for Chinese without absolutely breaking the calorie bank like takeout will. Actually it’s somewhat LESS than that, as some amount of sauce remains in the bowl once you serve, but there’s no way to calculate what was left, so, I figured I’d give the full warning. For more variation or to spread it among more folks, bulk it up with more of your favorite stir fry veggies. There’s more than enough sauce to go around.

Ingredients:

1 6 oz. package of lo mein noodles
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 mini red peppers, deseeded, deveined, diced
3 oz. fresh baby bella mushrooms
½ cup bamboo, drained
3 scallions, sliced (only the green)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
12 oz. lean pork, sliced very thin

Directions:

Prep all your ingredients. Like all stir fry dishes, this cooks fast.
Mix 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, the sesame oil, chili sauce, sugar, and soy sauce. This is your sauce base.
Bring your water to boil and add the noodles. Cook according to package directions (probably about 3 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water, drain well. Add to sauce base and toss to coat.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat in a wok or skillet.
Add the pork and peppers, stir frying quickly.
As the pork begins to lose its pink color, add the mushrooms and bamboo. Stir fry for an additional minute.
Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions.
Stir fry until pork is no longer pink.
Add to noodles and toss well to coat.

10. Allow to cool slightly for noodles to absorb the sauce.

Thank you Kait for sharing such a wonderful recipe with us! Looks quite yummy and I may have to try that very soon.

Kait Nolan's debut novella can be found at the links below. Be sure to check them out and look for my character Shawn's interview of her next week, May 27th, on Jinxie's World.

* * *

For those who are interested, Forsaken By Shadow, is available at Scribd, Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore. It is the first in the Mirus series.

Banished from their world with his memory wiped, Cade Shepherd doesn’t remember his life as Gage Dempsey, nor the woman he nearly died for. But when Embry Hollister’s father is kidnapped by military scientists, the only one she can turn to is the love from her past. Will Gage remember the Shadow Walker skills he learned from her father? If they survive, will Embry be able to walk away again?

Kait’s writing blog Shadow and Fang

Kait’s cooking blog Pots and Plots

Kait on Twitter

Kait on Facebook

Kait on MySpace

Kait on Goodreads

Crazy Meatballs

2009-11-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is more of an appetizer than a meal, but it's great for pot lucks and very popular.

You will need:

1-2 lb. package of frozen meatballs (Italian can work, but plain is best)
2 cans of Hot Hormel Chili no beans

1 32oz. jar of Grape jelly

Yes, the jelly always throws people off.

I cook this in a crock pot and the time can vary to whatever you need depending on the temperature you cook it. I put the meatballs in the crock pot, dump the jelly over the top and then both cans of chili. Then I turn it on medium and walk away from it for a while so the mix can heat up and the chili and jelly can seep down over the meatballs. Stir occasionally after that and cook on medium-high for about two to three hours. It's done when the meatballs are hot inside. This requires a lot of taste-testing.

Enjoy!

Sylvia's Apricot Pork Chop Glaze

2009-11-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Sylvia is an awesome cook and she came up with this amazing marinade that is just delicious. You must give it a try.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 small jars of Apricot jam
2 Tbsp. Sugar

Mix it all together. Add pork chops and marinate about 4 to 6 hours. Cook on high heat until pork chops are done.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2009-11-15T15:44:00.001-07:00

I know! Finally, something Italian from me!

This sauce recipe comes from my English grandmother, but I've Italianized it a bit because I love garlic and it was too bland. I'll show you a couple different ways to use this. Sorry I only have a couple of photos, though.

Grandma's Original Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 large can of stewed tomatoes, approx. 29oz.
2 12oz. cans tomato paste
Handful of sugar
Dash of salt
2 lbs. hamburger
5 bay leaves

Mix together; bring to boil. Lower heat; cook for one hour and add raw meat/meatballs. Cook as long as possible (at least 4 hours on low heat). Stir occasionally.

She made it this way because my Welsh grandfather didn't like spices. That's the reason the sugar was added. I don't do that anymore, nor do I add salt because tomatoes have enough sodium in them. Below, you will find two different ways I use my grandmother's recipe, both very different, but with similar tastes in the end.

Jinxie's Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 large can of stewed tomatoes
2 12oz. cans tomato paste
2 lbs. lean hamburger (can substitute ground turkey enhanced with ground sage)

Spices:

5 Bay leaves
Garlic powder or salt
Onion powder or salt
Italian seasonings (don't ask me to get specific here)
(ground sage, if using turkey)

Season to taste

Mix together. Add spices; crush the bay leaves in hand and drop in the sauce, and cover the top of the sauce with a layer of garlic and onion; then add a few dashes of Italian seasonings, and bring to a boil. Lower heat; cook for one hour. Add another layer of garlic and onion (optional). If using ground turkey, sprinkle a few dashes of sage over the meat in a bowl and work the sage into the meat. Form meatballs and add them to sauce. I don't add anything extra to the meatballs. They stay together just fine. Do not stir just yet and make sure the sauce is covering the meatballs. You can stir after about 30 minutes, but do it carefully. The longer this cooks, the better, but if you want it done earlier, you'll have to pay close attention to it and turn up the heat to medium/medium high. Stir consistently. Serve when ready over pasta.

Jinxie's Non-meat Quick Sauce

1 29oz. can of tomato sauce
1 12oz. can of tomato sauce

Spices:

Garlic powder or salt

Onion powder or salt

Italian seasonings (don't ask me to get specific here)

Mix together. Add spices; cover the top of the sauce with a layer of garlic and onion; then add a few dashes of Italian seasonings, and bring to a boil. Lower heat; cook for 30 minutes. Add another layer of garlic and onion (optional and season to taste). Keep the heat at about medium and stir consistently. Cook an additional 30 minutes while pasta is cooking. Serve over pasta when ready.

Sometimes, I throw minced garlic into this sauce as well. Like I said, I love garlic. =D

Buon appetite!

Chicken & Noodles

2009-11-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

When my grandma made this dish, she would make her own noodles. That takes two days. Neither you nor I has time for that, and really, who wants to make their own noodles anymore? If you are the rare person who does, go for it, but you'll need your own noodle recipe because I can't find my grandmother's. Just make sure you have the counter space to do it.

What you'll need:

4 to 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 14oz. cans of chicken broth
1 to 2 8oz. packages of No Yolk Noodles, extra broad
Flour

1 large dutch oven (I use a 5 quart)

Spices:

Salt
Pepper

Boil chicken breasts until cooked thoroughly - about 30 minutes on medium to medium high heat.

Remove chicken from water and shred/cut into bite-sized pieces, place pieces back in pot. Pour two cans of chicken broth into pot. Add 1 to 1 1/2 packages of noodles to pot, depending on the size of your dutch oven. Stir together and add salt and pepper--a few dashes.

Next, you're going to add flour to make a gravy. I usually cover the top with flour, stir it in, and then repeat it. Once the gravy forms, you can salt and pepper again to taste.

Simmer this for about an hour on low heat. Be certain to stir often so it doesn't burn.

This can be served alone, with mashed potatoes (over or next to), or if you lessen the flour you can make dumplings within the mixture while it cooks. It's a versatile recipe. Experiment with it and make it your own.

Enjoy!

Cornish Game Hens

2009-10-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Some of you may or may not know this, but my younger brother moved in with me not too long ago and brought with him the wonderful cook that is my sis-in-law! Her name is Sylvia and she says it doesn't matter if I use her name or not when I post her recipes, so I just did. heh

This is for Charles Posey, Crystal's husband, because he asked about it on Twitter one day. So easy, man, so easy.

Cornish Game Hens

1 hen per person

Olive oil

10 Potatoes (your preference but she uses red and the amount depends on their size)

1 small bag of baby carrots

1 to 1 1/2 Onions (yellow) - sliced

Season to taste

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh ground sea salt

Garlic powder

Onion salt

Butter or margarine

Add olive oil to skillet. Cut potatoes in halves or quarters, if using red. Slice onions. Add potatoes, onions and carrots to skillet until a bit crisp. Next add hens and seasonings.

Cook all together on high in large electric skillet until done. Potatoes, carrots, and onions will all be done cooking first so they will need to be removed from the skillet while hens finish cooking. Be sure to add butter/margarine during the last 15 minutes of potatoes cooking.

That's it. Enjoy!

Zuerner's Amazing Brownies

2009-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

Another awesome recipe from HC Zuerner!

Zuerner's Amazing Brownies

Ingredients:
1 package of Jell-O Cook and Serve chocolate pudding (MUST be Cook and Serve)
1 box of Devil's Food Cake mix
1 bag of Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Milk
13x9 cake pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook Jell-O Cook and Serve pudding according to directions on box.

While pudding is still hot, mix in Devil's Food Cake mix (powder only). Use a whisk to ensure everything is mixed in completely.

Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 of the bag of chocolate chips over the top.

Put in oven and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Use toothpick to test.

MOST IMPORTANT PART:

Do not serve hot, warm, right away, etc. Let sit until completely cool. For best results, cover and place in refrigerator overnight and serve the next day. Enjoy!

Baked Ziti from HC Zuerner

2009-10-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

Today, we have a guest post recipe from HC Zuerner.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs Ground hamburger

1 purple onion chopped

1 clove of garlic peeled and pressed (canned minced works too)

2 zucchinis chopped

2 yellow squash chopped

4-6 cans of tomato paste

1 bottle of red wine – Marsala or Cabernet Sauvignon is the best

2 bags of finely shredded Mozzarella

Ziti noodles

Dry Basil and Oregano

Ground sea salt (regular salt if that’s all you have)

Ground black pepper

1 large casserole dish

In a large pot, brown the hamburger and drain. Add onion, garlic and some salt and pepper. Mix in tomato paste and add bottle of wine. Bring to a low boil. Stir in zucchini, squash and dry herbs. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the ziti noodles to al dente, drain and put in casserole dish. Dump in one bag of shredded Mozzarella and mix around. Pour in sauce and stir. Empty last bag of cheese on top and cover with aluminum foil tented in the middle. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 5-10 minutes then serve. Best if you buy 2 bottles of wine and have the second one with your meal. Enjoy!

Big Daddy's World Famous Tacos

2009-10-07T00:38:00.001-07:00

In honor of Taco Tuesday (on Twitter), I decided to attempt Big Daddy's World Famous Tacos this evening. This recipe makes A LOT of tacos, but you can pare it down a bit if needed. Once again, this recipe is for the picky eater. That would be Umi.

Here's what I used:

2 packages of 18 count taco shells (I actually had 3 shells leftover after this)
3lbs of hamburger (85% lean at least, and I'm curious how turkey would substitute - let me know if you try it)
Garlic powder or salt
Onion powder or salt
Italian seasoning (yes, that's correct)
Lettuce (shredded)
Cheese (shredded)

Brown the hamburger in a large frying pan.

As the hamburger browns, sprinkle the seasonings over it to taste. I did this twice. Once it's fully cooked, drain grease and set oven temperature to 350 degrees. Shred the lettuce.

Line taco shells up in a 13x9 baking dish. I had to use two of them, plus a 9x9 dish.

Adda spoonful of meat to each shell.

Add lettuce to each shell.

Add cheese to each shell.

Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

That's it. You're done! Let Taco Tuesday begin!

You can top the taco with a spoonful of salsa or picante sauce. Your choice. I eat them plain. =)

Banana Bread

2009-09-29T21:43:00.004-07:00

This recipe is submitted by Writermomof5. You can find her on Twitter.

Banana Bread

4 OVER RIPE BANANAS

4 TABLE SPOONS SOFTENED BUTTER
1 CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
1 1/2 CUP FLOUR
1 TEASPOON SALT
1TEASPOON BAKING SODA

POUR INTO LOAF PAN BAKE AT 325' UNTIL DONE. ABOUT AN HOUR.

Another thing I like about this recipe is it’s versatile. Although it’s good alone, sometimes, for a special treat, I sprinkle chocolate chips on the top before baking.

I’ve even baked this in an 8 X 8 pan, sprinkled oatmeal and/or chocolate chips over the top and served it as snack cake. Kids ate it up!

My favorite way to make this is to sprinkle a pouch of instant oatmeal over the top before baking. The best, in my opinion, is maple and brown sugar but experiment… don’t use the apples and cinnamon though, the apples don’t cook in the oven—chewy.

If you want to get fancy, pour half of the mixture in the loaf pan, sprinkle your chosen topping and then add the rest of the mixture, bake as directed.

Enjoy

Banana Bread

2009-09-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is my grandmother's recipe and I can't believe I'm posting it because it's one of those little family secrets, but this is THE best banana bread in the world. I may be a bit biased, though.

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda (moistened*)
3 mashed ripened bananas

*moisten soda in mashed bananas

This makes two (2) loaves.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mash bananas in a separate small bowl with baking soda. Cream shortening with sugar in a large mixing bowl, mix in egg and vanilla extract, then banana and soda, and then add all the remaining dry ingredients. I add the flour last one cup at a time while stirring the mixture. Mix and bake in loaf pans at 375 for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on your oven. When I have a new oven, I start at 40 minutes and then check with a toothpick every 5 minutes after that. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.

Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into it.

If you want, you can add walnuts or whatever. I don't like banana nut bread, so I left that off the recipe card when I copied it from my grandmother's book.

This makes a great gift at Christmas. I usually bake about 8 to 10 loaves, wrap them in foil and stick a bow on them, and pass them out to friends and family. The bread is devoured fast.

Spread margarine or butter over bread and Enjoy!

Chili con Carne

2009-09-24T04:27:00.002-07:00

This is a fairly simple recipe and takes about an hour or so. Even picky eaters like this one. Do you sense a theme here? Welcome to my world.

The ingredients can be adjusted for servings, but this is how I do it so I can have leftovers. Generally, one pot of the following will serve approximately 6 to 8 people.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. ground hamburger (I prefer lean because it's less greasy-at least 85% lean-and you can also substitute ground turkey)
2 14oz. cans of dark red kidney beans, drained
3 12oz. cans of tomato soup
2 1/2 cans of water
Shredded Colby Jack cheese (or a mild cheddar, if you prefer)
Chili powder (optional, along with whatever else you'd like to add)
Fritos corn chips (optional)

I do this all in one pot, a 5-quart Dutch oven.

Brown the hamburger or turkey over medium to medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked and drain the grease.

Add the drained kidney beans and all contents of the tomato soup cans.

You'll need to use those 3 tomato soup cans for the next step, so don't throw them out. Fill the first tomato soup can with water and pour half of it into the pot. Then swirl the water around in the can to remove any remaining soup and pour the rest of it into the pot. Do the same with the second can, and only fill the third can halfway, swirl water around and dump it into the pot. This amount of water gives it a decent consistency--not too watered down and not too thick, but do it to your preference. NOTE: swirl the water in the can OVER the pot. This will keep it from going all over your stove.

Stir it all together and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Be sure to check on it because you don't want the kidney beans to burn on the bottom, so stir often. Next, you'll add spices. I just use chili powder because, as I said, Umi is a picky eater. I cover the top of the mixture with chili powder, stir it, and then cover the top again. It gives the chili just enough flavor without it being too spicy for Umi. Stir it all together one last time.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often. When the kidney bean are soft, it is done. Remember, don't let the kidney beans burn. You won't like the taste.

(don't ask me why that stupid picture rotated on me. I have no idea, but I can't fix it) This is generally what it looks like right before serving.

Now, you can serve this a couple of ways. I tend to add colby jack cheese to the bottom of my bowl, add the chili, and then add more cheese on top, like in this photo. It's very yummy.

Or you can add the Fritos corn chips to the bottom of your bowl, add chili, and then add cheese to the top, which is called Frito pie.

That's pretty much it. Easy.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

2009-09-20T00:03:00.001-07:00

I know, this isn't Italian, but I'm Italian and that's all that matters here.

This is how I make enchiladas. One of those recipes I just sort of made up or picked up somewhere.

Here's what you'll need:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
or
2 cans of premium white chicken in water, drained.
1 large can enchilada sauce (this can be mild or medium of red sauce, or green chile sauce)
4 cups of shredded cheese (I use colby and monteray jack, but cheddar works well too)
1 package of burrito size tortillas (preferably a 10-pack, and yes, I said burrito size)

If you choose to use fresh chicken, you can boil or steam it first to cook it through. Then you'll need to cut it up and partially shred it.

If you use the canned chicken, drain it first.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, mix chicken with 1/3 of enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese, and cook over medium heat until hot.

While this starts cooking, you can get everything else ready. You'll need a 13x9 glass baking dish. I lightly coat the baking dish with extra virgin olive oil so the food won't stick and then set the dish to the side on the counter. Remove the tortillas from package (unless you feel like making your own) and place them on the counter next to the baking dish in a stack. Once the mixture is heated, set the skillet on a hot pad next to the tortillas. This is sort of like an assembly line. LOL

Place a small amount of cheese on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the mixture on top of that.

Bring the end of the tortilla closest to you up and fold it over the mixture, tuck it under and roll the tortilla closed, then place it in the baking dish. Repeat this process until all of the mixture is gone. It should give you approximately 7 to 9 enchiladas.

Once you have all of the enchiladas in the baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce over the top of them and then cover that with cheese.

Bake at 375 for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, remove from oven and serve.

This serves approximately one enchilada per person.

(not the best picture, I know)

Cook and prep time takes about an hour if using the canned chicken, otherwise it'll take a bit longer if you have to cook the chicken separately. Just make sure to cook the chicken thoroughly, until it is no longer pink inside.

NOTE: you can add whatever else you'd like to this. Umi (my mother) is a very picky eater, so I don't add anything.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Wing Dip

2009-08-31T04:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I thought I'd start this off with something easy and fun and delicious! Buffalo wing dip, folks. And the great part about this one is that you can make it as spicy hot as you want. Just alter the amount of hot sauce.

Buffalo Wing Dip

2 large cans of chicken
2 packages of cream cheese, softened (and honestly, when do you ever use cream cheese that's NOT softened?)
1 8oz. bottle of Ranch dressing
4oz. to 5oz. of hot sauce (I prefer Tapatio, but use your preference, and I actually only use about half this amount)
1 tsp. of minced garlic
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix well and bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with corn chips. I use Tostitos white corn chips, but I recently sampled this very dip at Nate's with Fritos. Hmm... interesting. Again, your preference. Own the dip, folks.

The next time I make it, I'll upload a photo for you.

Enjoy!